Paper container



R. s. SANFORD 2,663,981

PAPER CONTAINER Dec. 29, 1953 Filed July 51, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l z'xi-INVEFH'OR Rqy S. Sanford.

XML 1M ATTORNEYS Dec. 29, 1953 s, SANFORD 1 2,663,981 I PAPER CONTAINERFiled July 31, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Roy SSQI wr ATTORNEYSPatented Dec. 29, 1953.

PAPER CONTAINER Roy S. Sanford, Oakville, Conn. Application July 31,1950, Serial No. 176,860

9 Claims.

This invention relates to containers of paperboard or other sheetmaterial, and more particularly to a novel liquid-tight and sift-proofcontainer and to a means and method for making the same.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel papercontainer blank which is readily adapted for quick and eificient sealingat both ends, the construction being such that complete sealing of allpin holes and cracks is achieved, thus providing a container having endportions which are completely air-tight, when used for liquids, orsift-proof when employed for powdered materials.

Another object is to provide a closure for the upper end of a tubularcontainer, so constituted as to permit portions of the container formingthe end closure to be adhesively bonded together at a relatively highpressure sufiicient to effect a positive fiow of adhesive between theportions to fill and seal all cracks and openings therebetween at thecontainer end.

A further object is to provide a novel closure for the upper end of acontainer of the above type, so constituted as to facilitate the fillingof the container and the subsequent sealing of the end thereof.

Still another object is to provide a container of the above type havingseparate dispensing and filling openings so arranged as to facilitatethe filling of the container and the subsequent dispensin of thematerial therein.

Yet another object is to provide a container of the above type havingseparate filling and dispensing openings and closure means therefor, andso constituted as to permit closing and sealing of the dispensingopening prior to-filling of'the container, and subsequent sealing of thefilling opening, thus providing a container having a sanitary dispensingopening which remains sealed not only during the filling operation butuntil the dispensing opening is uncovered to dispense the contents ofthe container.

A further object is to provide a sanitary liquidtight and sift-proofcontainer having separate dispensing and filling openings and formedfrom a single piece of sheet material such as paperboard.

Another object is to provide acontainer of the above type having afillin opening adapted to be temporarily closed and sealed to permitsanitary shipment with the container empty, and adapted to be readilyopened for filling and to be subsequently permanently sealed.

still another O j ct Q e invention is to provide, in connection with acontainer having filling and dispensing openings and closure meanstherefor, a novel means and method for closing said dispensing openingwhile leaving the closure means for the filling opening in openposition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means and method ofeffecting initial temporary and subsequent final sealing of a closuremember on a container so constituted as to permit the temporary seal tobe broken without damage to the container and to permit a permanentfinal seal to be effected thereafter.

Yet another object is to provide a blank for a container of the abovetype having a closure flap for a filling opening hingedly secured to aportion of the blank and secured to but readily detachable from anotherportion of the blank to permit handling of the blank without damage totions of the dispensing opening closure means after the latter isclosed.

A further object is to provide, in connection with a container having aprotective coating of paraffin or other thermoplastic material andaheat-scalable end closure, a novel means and method for substantiallypreventing said coating from melting and dropping into the interior ofthe container during the heat-sealing operation.

Another object is to provide, in connection with a container of the typehaving separately operable and hingedly connected dispensing and fillingflaps, means for separately sealing said flaps and for insuring a sealalong the hinge line therebetween.

Other objects and novel features of the inven-' tion will appear morefully hereinafter from the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein oneembodiment of the invention is illustrated. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are utilized for purposes ofillustration only, and are not to be taken as a definition of the limitsof the invention, refer once being had for this purpose to theaccompanying claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similarparts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank adapted to be formed into the novelcontainer of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partially assembled container andmechanism for forming the container;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a step in the formation of the endclosure and mechanism for forming the end closure;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a container with the end closurepartially completed;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing another step in the formation ofthe end closure and mechanism for forming the end closure;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of a container showing acompleted end closure; and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view showing the mechanism of Fig. 5 in morecomplete detail.

The present invention is particularly directed to a means and method forforming and sealing a container of sheet material, the bottom end of thecontainer being preferably closed and sealed as set forth more fully inthe copending application of Roy S. Sanford and Wilfred A. Eaton, SerialNo. 644,547 filed January 31, 1946, for Paper Container, now U. S.Patent No. 2,596,224, owned by the same assignee as the presentapplication. The upper end of the container is in general preferablyformed as set forth in the copending applications of Wilfred A. Eaton,Serial No. 671,832, filed May 23, 1946, for Paper Container, now U. S.Patent No. 2,596,225, and Roger H. Casler, Serial No. 699,750 filedSeptember 2'7, 1946, for Dispensing Containers, now U. S. Patent No.2,581,237, likewise owned by the same assignee as the presentapplication, the instant application setting forth certain improvementsin structures of the above type, as will be more fully describedhereinafter.

Containers of the type shown and described in the instant applicationand in the above referred to applications are ordinarily formed andfilled by means of automatic machines, and when such containers are usedfor mill; and similar products, it has been found desirable for sanitaryreasons, to separate as completely as possible, the operations offorming the container from the operation of filling the container. sucha result can be obtained by forming the container in one room andfilling and closing the container in an entirely separate room, theformed containers being transported to the filling room by suitableconveyor means which may be so constructed as to conform with sanitaryrequirements. As will be shown, the container of the present applicationis particularly adapted to meet these requirements, as the container maybe substantially completed before being filled, the only operationsrequired after filling being those of closing and sealing a fillingflap.

It is likewise desirable in some cases to form the containers and shipthem empty to another place for filling, in which case they must besealed during shipment to prevent contamination of the interior, andsubsequently opened, filled, and rescaled. The present inventionprovides for thi contingency, in that the container may be formed andtemporarily sealed at one place, and thereafter opened without damage tothe container, filled, and ermanently sealed at another place, ready fordistribution to the customer, it being noted in this connection that thedispensing opening, which is closed when the container is formed, is notdisturbed in any way during the subsequent opening, filling andrescaling operation, and consequently is not subject to contaminationbefore reaching the consumer.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, the present invention isillustrated therein as including a container blank 4 divided by scoredfolding lines 5 into preferably rectangular wall panels 5, I, 8, and 9,the panel 6 being provided with a glue flap I0 adapted to be adhesivelysecured to panel 5, which may be provided with a coating of adhesive I Ialong the lower edge thereof for that purpose, As set forth in thecopending application of Roy S. Sanford and Wilfred A. Eaton, abovereferred to, the wall panels 6 and 8 are provided at their left endswith integral halffiaps I2 and I3, while the panels 1 and 9 are providedwith full flaps l4 and IS, the flaps 12, i3, and l4, l5, thus being inopposed relationship when the container is assembled. Flaps l2 and i3are provided with scored lines I6 and I! which divide the half flapsinto separate panels of the same shape and substantially equal area, theinner surfaces of flaps l2 and i3 having a coating I 8 of a fiowableadhesive. The inner surface of flap i5 is provided with a similaradhesive coating 19 and the flap i4 is provided with narrow strips ofadhesive coating 20. The blank is formed into a tube and the bottomclosed and sealed as described in the above referred to application ofSanford and Eaton, the two panels of the half-flaps being foldedtogether and inside of the container with their adhesively coatedsurfaces together and the flaps l4 and I5 being folded thereover andsubjected to pressure to bond all of the flaps together and to forceadhesive outwardly between the two panels of the half flaps toward theside walls and corners of the container to seal all openingstherebetween.

Referring to the right hand portion of Fig. l, a score line 2| defines,in cooperation with angularly disposed score lines 22, 23, 24 and 25,substantially isosceles trapezoidal shaped panels 26 and 2'1, andadjacent substantially triangular panels 28. Additional score lines 23aand 29 and a partially out line 30 define, in conjunction with scorelines 5 and 2|, rectangular panels 3! and 32. Other angularly disposedscore lines 33, 34, and 36 define, in connection with score lines 5, 2|,and a score line 31, isosceles trapezoidal panels 38 and adjacenttriangular panels 39, while the score lines 5, 2 I, and 31 define a pairof rectangular panels 39a.

Top closure flaps 40 and 4| are provided, and are preferably formedintegral with an adjacent to panels 3| and 32 respectively, and hingedlysecured thereto along score lines 28a and 29. The flap 40 has an opening42 provided with a dispensing portion or opening 43 and a preferablyenlarged filling portion or opening 44. While the openings 43 and 44form portions of a single opening 42 in the form illustrated, it will beunderstood that if desired, the openings 43 and 44 may be separatelyformed in the flap 40, in which event, a narrow web or bridge mayseparate the two openings. The outer closure flap M is adapted whenfolded to overly and close the opening 42, and is provided with a'tearstrip or dispensing port forming member 45 separable from the flap 4| asalong perforations 46, and adapted to cover the dispensing portion 43 ofopening 42 when the flap 4! is in closed position. The separable memberis preferably provided with an opening tab 41 extending therefrom, andhaving scored folding lines 48 and 49 dividing the tab into portions 50and 5|. A score line 52 is provided substantially along the median lineof flap 4|, thus dividing the latter into integral and hingedlyconnected portions 53 and 54. The portion 54 is separated from panel 32by the out line 39, but in order to facilitate handling the blank, asmall piece of paper 55 is left uncut to provide a separable connectionor web between panel 32 and portion 54 of the flap 4|.

The panels 26, 21, 28, 3| and 32 and the upper end of the glue flap IDare provided with an adhesive coating 56 as shown, and a strip ofadhesive 51 is provided about the outer edge of closure flap 40 having awidth approximately the same as that of the adhesive strip 56: AU-shaped strip of adhesive 58 of similar width is provided on flap 4|,the shapeof this stripbeing preferably such that there is no adhesive onthe tear strip 45 or the perforations 46, although adhesive may beapplied around the entire periphery of the flap if desired. While it iscontemplated that the adhesive coatings |8, |9, 26, 56, 51 and 58 willbe of the heat sealing type printed on the blanks in the pattern shownand dried before shipment, it will be understood that other types ofadhesive may be used, and that if desired, the adhesive may be appliedto selected areas of the blank during the various steps of forming acontainer from the blank in order to adhesively secure the parts asabove described.

.Assuming that the glue flap ID has been adhesively secured to the wallpanel 9 and the bottom flaps 2, I3, I4 and I5 folded and sealed to forma tubular container as described, the container is placed in a formingmachine 59, partially shown in Fig. 2 with the lower end thereof restingon a suitable support, not shown. The machine is provided with a pair ofrelatively movable opposed slides 66 and another pair of opposed slides6| arranged as shown, together with' a vertically movable plunger 62adapted to fit into the open end of thecontainer and engage the interiorsurfaces of the panels 26, 21, 3| and 32. In forming the container top,the plunger 62 is partially entered into the mouth of the container, andthe slides 66 and 6| are moved inwardly substantially simultaneously,engaging the walls of the container adjacent score line 2|, and foldingpanels 38, 39 and 39a inwardly, while panels 26, 21, 28, 3| and 32 arefolded outwardly with respect thereto, due to the engagement of theedges of plunger 62 with the inner surfaces of panels 26, 21, 3| and 32.This operation serves to break the scores between the adjacent panelsand to partially preform the upper end of the container, thusfacilitating the final closing and sealing operations.

The container is now removed from the preforming machine 59, whereuponthe flap 40 is folded inwardly with the adhesive coating strip 51adjacent panels 26, 21, 3| and 32. The flap 4| is then folded inoverlapping relationship with flap 46, and the tab 41 is folded inwardlysubstantially at right angles to the flap 4|. The flap 54 is movedupwardly about score line 52 with sulficient force to break theconnecting piece of paperboard 55, and with the flap 54 held in asubstantially vertical position, the container is placed on a sealingmachine 63, as shown in Fig. 3, the latter being provided with a pair ofopposed slides 64, and another pair of opposed slides 65, arranged in amanner similar to the slides 60 and 6| in the machine 59. A verticallymovable sealing plunger 66 is provided with a die member 61 adaptedtoengage the upp r surface ofportion 53 of flap 4|, and is also providedwithanother die member 68 adapted to engage the portion of flap 46 not.covered by flap portion 53, a slot 69 being provided therebetween toreoeivethe vertically extending flap 54; As shown, the level of thelower surface of plunger portion 61 is slightly higher than that ofplunger portion 68 in order to compensate for the thickness of the flap54 to provide uniform pressure on the flaps during the sealingoperation. The slides 64 and 65 are moved inwardly to again fold panels38, 39 and 39a inwardly and panels 26, 21, and 2 8 outwardly asheretofore described, the plunger 66 thereafter being moved downwardlyto engage flap 46 wi th flange forming panels 26, 21, 3| and 32, andtoengage flap 4| with flap 46, it being understood that one of the slides65 engages tab 41 to tuck the portion 56 thereof under the flangeforming panel 2'|,as more fully described in the above referred tocopending application of Roger H. Casler. In the event an adhesive oftheheatsealing type is used, the, slides 64 and 65 are provided withheating elements 70 and H respectively, while portions 61 and 68 ofplunger 66 are provided with heating elements 12 and 73,- The slides 64and 65 having been moved inwardly, serve to support the flange formingpanels, and on downward movement of plunger 66 by suitable means, notshown, heat and pressure are applied to the flange forming panels andflaps 40 and 4| to effect a secure bond between the engaging portionsthereof and to positively flow the adhesive to seal and fill allopenings therebetween. In the event other types of adhesive areutilized, it will be understood that the seal or bond between the abovementioned panels and flaps may be effected by pressure exerted by theplunger 66. Also inthe event the adhesive is of the type requiring theaction of heat to facilitate drying and setting, the slides or plungeror both may be heater by suitable means for this purpose.

Following the above described operations, the container is substantiallyin the form shown in Fig. 4, with the flap portion 54 extending'upwardlyand leaving port 44 open. In the event the container is to be coatedwith a protective material, it may be coated by dipping manually, or byautomatic machinery, not shown, in a bath of molten wax or othersuitable coating material, the latter being applied to the interior ofthe container and drained therefrom through the opening 44, and appliedto the exterior by the operation of dipping the container in the bath.Thus the entire container is provided with a coating 14 and in the eventwax or other thermoplastic material is utilized, it will be apparentthat the adhesive coating 58 on flap 54 will have an overlying coatingof a different thermoplastic heat scalable material which is preferablyso ,chosen as to be heat sealable at a lower temperature than theadhesive coating 56, for purposes to be more fully describedhereinafter. In any event, it is desirable that the adhesive coating 58and the protective coating 74 be so chosen as to be capable of effectingbonds between flap 46 and of fact that the portion 53 sorifia l Ina-51a]? ready been adhesiv-ely-seeured to Etherv fiat send ipo'r on cranehontainer-iorn iedby "the flange panels :26, 2 1 3'la1ld;'32, and by the-fiap 40, all *of thefinteriorly-exposed portions of the jfiap i53 aridthe se arable dispensing port rormin memh will recei've a-eoating cf theprotectivema'iteral, thus insuring that the 'portions thereof w ichareexposed to the container contents are erbvidea with a sanit"any'proteotive ocating; In

the event no adhsive isapplied to the under surface of the tear strip55, the coating material 't'"'"ds t'd-fill and seal openings betweenthis ii) and the nap 4o','u ms insuring a leakproof iosur a; swell as aprotective coarnew the outer surface of nap 40 adjacent the SEl-lfa-G fthe 't'ai Strip 45 and around the dispensing port;

Sanitary reasons that "i1 0 be allowed to C01- leot on the outer surfaceof "the dispensing closure flap 4i andadia'eent areas, nd particularlyadjacent the strip 45 and the 'perforations 3E. The upwardl extendingflap 54 performs an important function in this oonnection, in "that itprovides an' fictiveshield between the filling opening and the outersurfac'ek af flap 53 to prevent splashing of liquid on the latter fromthe region of the filling opening during the filling operation V V V Thefinal "closing nd sealing is aocomplished by folding the flap idownwardly against flap "4! to'cove-r' opening 44; "and placing the 'upper'end of ch'e'ccniaine dn a suitable mahine 'ifi, shown in Fig. Zftoeffect sealing of the closure flap. The 'machine BJinay 'be providedwith a :U- shaped lowerliie isaeapted to receive the upper 'endfo'fthe.conta ner and 'to' support the flange rorining paneis 26, 3] and 32, anda similarly shaped upper dief'fl movable by suitable 'meansvertioally'with respect to the die 1s. with the nap *54 raises rociosing =po'sition, the too'of t'he container is ovd ifitor'thedie 16with the flapil toward the' rear and the tab 41 at the front oftnecomainer as shownin Fig. '5, whereuponthed-i fl! "is moved downwardlyto force the-nap 54 against the "upper surfaceof flap-c0 itoeifect abond and"seal therehetween. In -the event the adhesive 'iltilized is ofa heat-sealing type, a hea'ting element 18 maybe provided 'in -the=die11. If foundfiesirable, a similar heater, not shown, may he provided forthe lower die 16. -In order to insane complete sealing of the flapfiltofiap "40, the "'di'es are so arranged as; to apply pressureacross'and on 'bothsides of the hinge s'cor'e'lin'e 52. ltis also tobeunderstood thatthese dies,'as well as the s1ides-'and plunger ofmachine 63, areso contoured as to compensate for the number of layers ofpaperboard material being bonded in clifierent areas, in order to insureadequate 'b'onding'pressuresbetween all surfaces. Since the portion '53of flap M has previously been bondedto flap AG, andsince the 'u'ishapedldiesapply pressure to the freepedges of flap'ilandiacross'the hingeline 52 it 'will'be the bath of coating material.

apparent that aftennllihg of the "container, the flap 55 may be readilysealed alongi-ts periphery and along the hinge line to prevent leakagefrom the container, this heing accomplished without disturbing theclosure of the dispensing 'ope'ning, which has already been effected bythe portion 53 of flap 4! as described. 7

In the event the coating material is par'aflin or some other low meltingpoint material, and in the "event an adhesive of the-heat sealing typeis employed in adhesively securing the flap i5! to the flap 40 to effecta final closure, it is desirable to localize the application of heat tothe flap 54 during the heat sealing operation in order to prevent thecoating from melting and drop ping into the container. Due tothe-employ"- ment of the U shaped heated die 'Tlfwh'ich engages only theperipheral portion'of the 'flap fil, the heat is localized and meltingof the coating is substantially eliminated.

As heretofore stated, it may sometimes be found desirable to form andcoat the container,

and thereafter 'se'al it temporarily'to permit shipment empty to anotherlocation for filling and subsequent rescaling, the interior of the emptycontainer being protected against contamination during shipment so as toavoid the need for sterilizing prior to filling. The present containeris well adapted to this type 'ofoperation, the container in the formshown in Fig. '4 having its interior coated with wax or other suitableprotective material through the opening 44, and the exterior preferablybein'gsiinilarly coated by the operation of dipping the container inAssuming that wax is used as the coating material, the coating is set bycooling in a suitable refrigerator, resulting in -a container coatedwith wax, and including a 'coatingof wax over the adhesive band 58enclosure fiap 5'4. The wax'norrn'ally used for suohcoatings hasa lowermelting point than the adhesive 58, thus 'permitting softening of thewax coating for heat sealing at a temperat-ure below that required toactivate the-adhesive i38-for-heat sealing, and so low-as to leave theadhesive 58 substantially unafiected. The temporary closure may beaffected in substantially the same manner'as the final closureheretofore describedthe 'upperportion of the container being placedbetween dies of a machine of the type shown in Fig.1? with the fiap'iidfolded down against the "flap 4!). The heater H3 is so chosen oradjusted as to heat the diell 'siifficiently to soften the Wax coatingover the adhesive 58 and on the uppe'r -surface offiap 40 sufficientlyto soften or render the Wax'ooatirig tacky without disturbing theadhesive coating 58, the parts being pressed together by the op erationofthe dies du'ring or after the softening operation to effect/atemporary "bond therebetween, which in the event the protective "coatingis of'wax oro'ther suitable material, 'is's'trong enough tomaintain andseal the flap"?! in'closed position, but is not strong enough to damagethe container during subsequent reopening of theclosure flap. Intheevent itis'found necessary to cool the waxcoating to insure a good bond,this may be accomplished by cooling 'the dies while maintaining pressureonthe ,fla-p's, .or by removing the container to another similar machinehaving dies maintained at a proper temperature to rapidly'cool the waxwhile holding the parts in engagement.

The contai r is ow rea y f sh pm nt empty to a filling stat n, Wh re thcontainer can be reopened for filling by lifting the flap 54 andbreaking the relatively weak bond betweenthe flap 54 and fiap 40.Subsequent to the filling operation, the container is placed in amachine of the type shown in Fig. '7 having dies maintained at atemperature suitable for activating the adhesive 58, and the finalclosure made by heat and pressure as previously described. In order tofacilitate reopening the flap 54 and breaking the temporary wax seal, acut-out 19 may be provided at the upper edge of panel 26 and acorresponding cut-out 80 on the edge of fiap 40, as shown in Fig. 1.When the top is formed and sealed, these cut-outs are substantially inregister so as to expose a portion 8| of the outer edge of flap 54, thuspermitting the latter to be grasped or acted on by a suitable tool tobreak the wax seal and lift the fiap to permit filling of the container.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention providesa novel blank and container structure which may be readily formed in asingle piece from paperboard or other similar sheet material.Furthermore,it will be apparent that as shown in the drawings, andparticularly in Fig. 6, a finished container is formed having a topclosure which presents a substantially fiat and unbroken or non-recessedouter surface having distinctive advantages from a sanitation standpointwhen used for the packaging of food products such as milk, for example.It will also be noted that the closure member presenting this flatunbroken outer surface includes not only a tab separable therefrom toprovide a dispensing opening, but also a separate fiap which, prior toclosing, is adapted to provide access to a filling opening for thecontainer which is entirely separate and distinct from the dispensingopening. A protected dispensing opening is provided which may be sealedprior to filling of the container, and which remains undisturbed duringthe subsequent filling operation. The construction is such that thecontainer may be substantially completely assembled in one room andfilled in another room, the only operations performed in the fillingroom being those of filling, closing the filler flap, and sealing thelatter, thus greatly minimizing the possibility of contaminating theproduct with which the container is filled. The container is alsoreadily adapted for temporary sealing, and subsequent opening, filling,and resealing, a procedure which is often highly desirable.

While one form of the container has been shown, and described hereinwith considerable particularity, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various modifications may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. For example, in someinstances the fiap 40 may be dispensed with entirely if desired, inwhich case the portions 53 and 54 of closure fiap 4| may be adhesivelysecured to the flat end of the container formed by the flange formingpanels 26, 21, 3i and 32, rather than to the fiat end formed by securingthe flap 40 to the flange forming panels. Other modifications may alsobe resorted to within the scope of the invention.

This application is a division of the copending application of Roy S.Sanford, Serial No. 783,904, filed November 4, 1947, for PaperContainer.

Reference will, therefore, be had to the apmaterial, which comprisespreparing a blank of sheet material having a plurality of side wallpanels provided with foldable end closing flaps at the bottom endthereof, flange forming panels at the upper ends thereof, a top closureflap integral with one flange forming panel provided,

with ported dispensing and filling portions, and a second top closureflap integral with another flange forming panel having a portionprovided with a tear strip and another portion hingedly secured thereto,folding said 'blank and adhesively securing adjacent wall panelstogether to form a tube of polygonal cross section, folding andadhesively securing said foldable end flaps together in overlappingrelationship to form a bottom closure, folding upper portions of saidwall panels inwardly and said flange forming panels outwardly to form asubstantially continuous fiange about the upper end of the container,folding and adhesively securing the first'named top closure flap to saidflange and substantially simultaneously folding and adhesively securingthe first named portion'of the second top closure flap to the firstnamed top closure flap with said tear strip covering the porteddispensing portion of the first named top closure fiap and with thesecond named portion of the second top closure flap in open position,introducing a coating material into the container through the portedfilling portion of the first named top closure flap and draining thecoating material from the container therethrough, setting the coatingmaterial, filling the container with a desired product through saidported filling portion, and closing and adhesively securing the secondnamed portion of the second top flap to the first named top fiap toclose and seal the ported filling portion thereof.

2. The method of forming, coating, filling, and sealing the end of atubular container of sheet material, which comprisespreparing a blank ofsaid material having a plurality of side wall panels, foldable bottomclosing flaps at one end of the side wall panels, flange forming panelsat the other ends of said wall panels, a first top flap integral withone of said flange forming panels having a ported filling portion and aported dispensing portion, and a second top flap provided with a,portion having a tear strip and a second portion hingedly connectedthereto, applying a coating of heat scalable adhesive to selectedportions of said blank, setting said adhesive coating, folding saidblank into a-ftubular form with a pair of side wall panels in"engagement and applying heat and pressure to effect a bondtherebetween, folding said bottom closing flaps in overlappingrelationship with adhesive coated surfaces in engagement and. applyingheat and pressure to effect a bondtherebetween and to close the bottomend of said container, folding upper portions of said wallipanelsinwardly and said flange forming panelsoutwardly to form a substantiallycontinuous flange about the upper end of said container, folding saidfirst top flap with an adhesive coated surface in engagement with saidflange and substantially simultaneously folding the first named portionof said second top flap with an adhesive coated surface in engagementwith the upper surface of the first top flap and with the second namedportion of the second top fiap extending upwardly, applying heat andpressure to effect a bond between said first top flap and flange andbetween said fiap and the first named portionof the second top flapwhile holding the other portion thereof in said upwardly extendingposition, dipping said container-in abath' orco'ating material wherebythe hingedly connected portion of the second top flapinto engagementwith the top of the first top flap to cover the ported filling portionthereof, and applying heat and, pressure to the hingedly con nectedportion to effect an adhesive bond betweensaid portion and said firsttop flap to seal the top of said container.

3. The method of temporarily sealing, reopen ing, filling, and rescalinga. tubular paper board container of sheet material and of the typehaving an end closure member provided with a filling port and an endclosure flapv provided with a coating of heat scalable material andadapted to be bonded to said member to close said port, which comprisescovering said first named coating with a second coating. of a relativelyweak heat scalable material heat scalable at a lower temperature thanthe first named material, engaging said fiap and member and applyingheat in a degree sufiicient to render the second named coating operativeto effect a bond between said flap and member and insuflicient to rendersaid first named coating operative to efiect a bond therebetween,subsequently breaking the first named bond, opening. said flap, andfilling the container with a desired product through said port, andthereafter again engaging said flap and member and applying heat in adegree s-ufficient to render the first named coating operative to effecta bond between said flap and member. 7

i, The method or coatingptemporarily closing and sealing, reopening andfilling, and rescaling a container of sheetmaterial and of the typehaving a ported closure member and a cooperating closure flap providedwitha coating of heatsealable adhesive, which comprises coating thecontainer, including said adhesively coated flap, with a thermoplasticmaterial heat scalable in a temperature range below that of saidadhesive, closing said flap and applying heat thereto in a degreesufficient to render said thermos-plastic material operative to efifecta bond between said member and flap and insufficient to render saidadhesive operative to eiTect a bond therebetween, subsequently breakingsaid bond, opening said flap and filling said container with a desiredproduct through said port, and closing said flap and applying heatthereto in a degree sufficient to render said adhesive operative toeffect a bond etween said fiap and member.

5. The method of temporarily sealing, reopening, filling, and rescalinga container of sheet material and of the type having a closure memberprovided with a filling port and an end closure fiap provided with acoating of heat sealable adhesive and an overlying coating ofthermo-plastic material heat scalable in a temperature range below theheat sealing temperature range of said adhesive, which comprises closingsaid flap and applying heat thereto in a degree suiiicient to rendersaid therm'o-plastic material operative to efiect a bond between saidfiap and member to close an'diseal saidport,subsequently breaking saidbond, opening said flap and filling said container through said portwith a desired product, and thereafter reclosing said flap. and

applying: heat thereto. in a. degree sufficient. to.

render said adhesiveoperative to efiect a bond between said. fiapand.member to close and. seal said port.

6. The method of temporarily sealing, reopening, filling, and rescalinga container of sheet materialand of the type including a closure mem:

ber having a. filling port and closure flap having a coating of heatscalable adhesive, comprising applying a coating of relatively weakadhesive.

over said coating of heat sealableadhesive on said. flap, closing saidflap over said member and applying pressureto. render said, relativelyweak adhesive. operative to effect a bond between said flap and membertoclose and seal said port, sub sequently breaking said bond, openingsaid flap and filling said container with a desired product through saidport, and thereafter again closing said flapand applying heat thereto ina degree sufiicient to render said heat scalable adhesive operative toefiect a bond between said flap and member.

7. The method of temporarily sealing, reopenin filling, and rescaling acontainer of sheet material and of the type having a closure flap havinga coating of heat scalable adhesive and adapted to be adhesively securedto the end of the container to close the same, comprising applying a,coating of relatively weak adhesive over said coating of heat scalableadhesive, engaging said flap with the end of said container to rendersaid weak adhesive operative to effeet a bond between said fiap andcontainer to temporarily close and seal the end thereof, subsequentlybreaking said bond and filling said container through the open endthereof, and thereafter again engaging said fiap with the end of saidcontainer and applying heat to said flap in a degree sufficient torender said heat scalable adhesive operative to efiect a permanent bondbetween. said flap and the end of said container.

8. The method of preparing for filling a tubular container of polygonalcross section and of the type having a flange at one end thereof, an endclosure fiap provided with a dispensing tab separable therefrom adaptedto be secured to said flange to cover one portion of said container endand a filler flap integral with and hingedly connected with the firstnamed nap and adapted to close the remaining portion of the containerend, which comprises adhesively securing selected portions of the firstnamed flap to said flange, while leaving said separable dispensingmember unsecured to said flange and maintaining said filler flap in openposition, applying a liquid protective coating to said container 'toeffect a seal between the unsecured portion of said separable dispensingportion and the adjacent flange, and thereafter setting said protectivecoating.

9. The method of forming, coating, filling and sealing the end of arectangular paper container of the type having four side walls eachprovided with a flange at one end thereof, said flanges forming acontinuous outwardly extending marginal flange, a first rectangular andclosure flap integral with one wall flange and having ported dispensingand filling portions, and a second rectangular end closure flap integralwith the wall'flange opposite said one wall flange and having adispensing tear strip separable therefrom and a filler fiap hingedlysecured thereto, which comprises adhesively securing the marginalportion of the first flap ing and adhesively securing said filler flapto t sa d marginal fla adh s vcly securing the first flap to close andseal the filling portion. selected portions of the second flap to thetop of ROY S. SANFORD. the first flap with the tear strip covering theported dispensing portion of the first flap while 5 efe e ces Ci in e fie Of this patent maintaining the filler flap open to provide access tothe container through the ported filling UNITED STATES PATENTS portionof the first flap, introducing a coating Nugnner Name Date material intothe container through said filling 85,979 Hothersau July 6, 1937 portionand draining the coating material from 10 2,218,670 Benflett Oct. 22,1940 the container therethrough, setting the coating 232L042 Prels J1mematerial, filling the container with a desired 232L050 seymer June 3,1943 product through said filling portion, and 0105- 2371917 Wilcox May1949

